History of Medicine and U.S. Health Care Delivery

This set of flashcards covers the historical timeline of medical discoveries, key figures in medicine, and major legislative acts governing health care delivery in the United States.

Paleopathology

The study of human remains; considered the most reliable source of information about historical health care delivery because of less potential for bias.

Hippocrates

A Greek physician (460–370 BC) known as the “father of medicine” and the first to consider medicine a science separate from religion.

Hippocratic Oath

An expression of early medical ethics adopted to reflect high ideals in the medical profession.

Renaissance medicine

A period in medicine characterized by a renewed interest in arts and sciences, marking the beginning of modern medicine based on education instead of spiritual beliefs.

William Harvey

The individual who proved the continuous circulation of the blood within a contained system.

Aselli

The scientist who discovered lymphatic vessels through experiments on animals, leading to theories about cancer and lymphatic drainage.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

A Dutch amateur scientist who used a microscope to study microorganisms (microbes or germs) and discovered bacteria.

Edward Jenner

The English physician who discovered a safe method for smallpox immunity, initiating the science of immunology.

Immunology

The science of the prevention of disease by building up resistance to it.

Germ theory of disease

A theory established by Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch proving that microbes are living organisms and responsible for certain diseases.

Robert Koch

The German physician who invented a method for determining which bacteria cause particular diseases, identifying the germ for anthrax.

Pathology

The scientific study of disease that developed during the 1800s.

Joseph Lister

An English surgeon who began using carbolic acid as a disinfectant in 1865 to sterilize surgical wounds.

Aseptic surgery

A technique involving keeping germs away from surgical wounds originally, involving surgical gowns, masks, and steam sterilization.

Wilhelm Roentgen

The German physicist who discovered x-rays in 1895.

Chemotherapy

A treatment introduced by Paul Ehrlich around 1910 involving searching for chemicals to destroy microbes responsible for diseases.

Penicillin

The first antibiotic, discovered as a germ-killing mold by Sir Alexander Fleming in 1928 and isolated by Howard Florey in the 1940s.

Human Genome Project

A nationally coordinated effort established in 1990 to characterize all human genetic material by sequencing the complete DNA DNA sequence.

IRS-1 (Insulin Receptor Substrate-1)

A protein found to be defective in people with Alzheimer’s disease; its inactive and active levels help in potentially diagnosing the disease before symptoms appear.

Pennsylvania Hospital

The first U.S. hospital, founded by Benjamin Franklin and built in 1751.

American Medical Association (AMA)

An organization founded in 1847 to elevate the standard of medical education in the United States.

Flexner Report

A 1910 report by Abraham Flexner that served as the catalyst for the health care standardization movement in the United States and Canada.

American College of Surgeons (ACS)

An organization founded in 1913 to improve care for surgical patients by establishing standards for surgical education and practice.

Blue Cross

A health insurance plan first offered in 1929 that usually covers the cost of hospital care.

Blue Shield

A health insurance plan first offered in 1939 that usually covers the cost of physicians’ services.

Hill-Burton Act

Also known as the Hospital Survey and Construction Act of 1946, it provided federal grants to modernize hospitals obsolete due to the Great Depression and World War II.

The Joint Commission

Originally created in 1951 as the JCAH, it is an independent organization that provides voluntary accreditation to hospitals.

Medicare (Title 18)

A 1965 program for people 65 or older, younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

Medicaid (Title 19)

A joint federal and state program enacted in 1965 that helps with medical costs for people with low incomes and limited resources.

Primary care

The patient’s entry to the health care system in non-emergency situations, encompassing preventive care and identification of common conditions.

Health maintenance organizations (HMOs)

Organizations responsible for providing health care services to subscribers in a given geographic area for a fixed fee.

Diagnosis-related groups (DRGs)

A 1983 prospective payment system requiring acute care hospitals to be reimbursed at a predetermined rate according to discharge diagnosis.

COBRA

A 1985 act allowing former employees and their dependents the right to temporary continuation of health coverage at group rates.

National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB)

A database established in 1986 containing information about practitioners’ credentials, malpractice payments, and adverse actions.

Patient Self-Determination Act

A 1990 act requiring consumers be provided with information about their right to make advance health care decisions or advance directives.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

A 1996 act mandating administrative simplification regulations for privacy, security, and electronic transactions standards.

National Provider Identifier (NPI)

The Standard Unique Health Identifier for Health Care Providers.

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)

A 2008 act prohibiting insurance denial or higher premiums based solely on genetic predisposition to disease.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)

A 2010 act focused on insurance reform to provide coverage for preexisting conditions and improve public health quality and efficiency.

Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)

A 2015 program that adjusts Medicare Part B payments based on quality, resource use, clinical practice improvement, and EHR technology use.

Telehealth

The use of telecommunication technology to provide and support the delivery of health-related services at a distance.